Southern Utah University grieves student, service member killed in Jordan

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CEDAR CITY — One of the two service members killed in an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack in Jordan last week was a student at Southern Utah University.

SUU President Mindy Benson said she was devastated when she heard that 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan had died while in service to his country.

“I was heartbroken immediately. It stopped me in my tracks as I thought about the sacrifice that he and his family — that Tyler and his family — had made,” Benson said. “I think our whole campus is feeling that. We all grieve alongside his family.”

Feehan’s ties to SUU and Cedar City

Feehan went through SUU’s ROTC program. He became a cadet in 2022 and was and went on active duty after he was commissioned in 2024.

“He was a very active, engaged part of our campus, a strong leader in the ROTC program,” Benson said. “He brought such a warmth and light and leadership onto our campus.”

She said Feehan was a quiet student at first, but once he got comfortable, “he was the life of the party and engaged in everything.”

Benson said Feehan was also pursuing his Master of Business Administration with an online cohort and was just weeks from the finish line.

“We will present Tyler with his Master of Business Administration posthumously at commencement next year. He has earned that and was three weeks away from finishing his courses. He was in his capstone course,” Benson said.

Despite his residency being listed by the military as Hawaii, Benson said Feehan graduated from Cedar High School in 2019, and his grandparents still live in Cedar City. His father’s military service took the family to Hawaii, and Feehan was following in his footsteps.

“Following in the legacy of his retired father’s footsteps in Army service, and he was very proud of that,” Benson said.

How SUU is honoring Feehan

Benson said the university will wrap a yellow ribbon around the bell tower — which symbolizes students’ graduation moment at SUU — and they will play “The Army Song” every hour in Feehan’s honor. The tower has also been lit in yellow.

The Osmond Pioneer Legacy production on Thursday on the SUU campus, part of the Pioneer Day celebration, is scheduled to include a moment of silence in Feehan’s honor as well.

Benson said SUU would have counselors available for students and staff who need help navigating through grief. She said she had been in contact with cadets and their leadership in the ROTC program and everyone has been checking in with one another.

“We take the lives of every single T-Bird seriously, and we are sad when we lose any T-Bird, but particularly in this situation, it hits home hard and differently,” Benson said. “We are deeply grateful for his service and his sacrifice and his family’s sacrifice.”

What we know about the attack

Feehan, 25, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He had also served with the 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery, Utah Army National Guard in Cedar City while attending SUU.

He was killed July 18 from wounds sustained the previous day during Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. A second soldier, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was also killed in the attacks.

They were the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the war began. AT the time of publication, the total number of U.S. deaths in the conflict stood at 17.

Feehan was to be posthumously promoted to captain and would receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.

A dignified transfer ceremony for the fallen service members was expected at Dover Air Force Base.